<USS Avalon> Getting to Know Her

"Getting to Know Her"
By Lieutenant First Class Elissabeth Marksbury and  Junior Lieutenant James 
Monroe
 
Monroe had been thinking about Lissi during his whole shift.  He contemplated 
calling her as soon as he was back in his quarters, but didn't want to seem too 
forward, too over-eager.  He was afraid of making some sort of mistake with 
her.  He liked her very much and wanted to be close to her even more.  He 
hadn't ever met a girl quite like Lissi before.
 
She wasn't the traditional beauty - she was cute with her sparkling eyes and 
quick smile.  Her personality was so friendly that he doubted there was anyone 
she couldn't charm.  She was so quiet and serious, yet soft and welcoming.  She 
intrigued him.  And she seemed to like him as well.
 
He was pleasantly surprised to see her at his door shortly after getting off 
duty.  He invited her in, hoping she was planning on staying awhile.
 
They exchanged casual greetings and he offered her tea.  Lissi tucked her legs 
up under her as she sat in one corner of the sofa.
 
"Something's bothering you," James said, trying to place his finger on what was 
a little off about her today.  She wasn't smiling as brightly.
 
"Am I that easy to read?"
 
"No.  I've just been around you enough to know that something isn't quite 
right.  Was your day bad?  Stressful?  Have another fight with a Rydyn?"
 
She laughed a bit.  "No.  I was ... ignored by one, but ..." she let the 
sentence trail off.
 
"But what?"
 
"I don't want to bother you with such trivial things, James.  It has just been 
a very busy couple of days."
 
"Tell me about them."
 
"No, I -"
 
He moved closer and tipped her chin up so that she'd look him in the eye.  "I 
said tell me, Liss."  He gently kissed her cheek.  "We're friends if nothing 
else, though I should say a bit more."  He kissed her nose which made it 
crinkle.  "And I want to know more about you and your life."  He kissed her 
other cheek.  "So tell me."  He finished by kissing her on the forehead, very 
softly.
 
Lissi's resolve melted, along with any barriers she may have had up.  She took 
a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "Yesterday, felt very...unproductive for 
me.  I had the meeting with Manson that I told you about.  He wasn't all that 
helpful.  Then I spent the rest of the morning and most the afternoon putting 
together the answers to those questions, which Ambassador Creval practically 
threw away.  I had to stand up to him again, threatening - which I hate doing.  
Then I went to see Sierra about a problem I've been having with an Ensign."  
She stopped, feeling badly for doing all the talking.
 
"Go on," he said, stroking her hair back off her face.
 
"Well, this Ensign was caught breaching protocol twice in as many days.  He 
needed a reprimand or to be temporarily suspended in my opinion.  Sierra made 
it sound like I was nit-picking, asking me if I wanted him to be dangled out an 
airlock.  And I ... I lost my temper."
 
"You lost your temper?  What did you do, raise your voice to an audible level?" 
 He teased.
 
"Funny.  No, we were standing on opposites sides of his desk, hands planted 
firmly on top of it, glaring at each other."
 
"Whoa."
 
"Yeah."
 
"So what happened?"
 
"I back-pedaled and apologised.  What else could I have done?  He's my 
superior, even if I think he was wrong about the whole thing.  Now I've been 
assigned as this Ensign's personal tutor to teach him stuff he should've 
learned in first year at the Academy."
 
"Poor girl," James said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to 
him.  The contact sent both their senses soaring.
 
"No, it was a situation of my own making.  I should've seen it coming."  Lissi 
looked up and saw compassion - and desire - in Monroe's eyes.
 
"Then there's you," she smiled, "who makes my better judgement all wonky."
 
"Good, 'cause you do the same to me."  He kissed her lightly on the lips.  
"What else?"
 
Lissi bit her lip.  "I may have over-stepped my bounds with Ketchum too."
 
"You - what?"
 
"I - uh- was in that meeting with him and Ambassador Oonal this morning and I 
kinda sorta interjected my opinion and explanation into something, hoping to 
dissolve a frustrating situation."
 
"Did it work?"
 
"No."  
 
James began softly rubbing her shoulder, arm, and back in lazy circles.  
"Sounds like you had quite the day.  Days." 
 
"I'll be fine.  I just need to relax a bit.  This is nice."
 
"Very nice," he agreed, leaning down to kiss her.


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